Palmyrah to ‘keep away elephants’
November 5, 2010 10:38 pm
Palmyrah trees have been identified as a way of keeping wild elephants away from human habitats. At a presentation convened by Practical Action, a non governmental organization it was revealed that the electrified fence erected to keep away elephants has failed.
Elephant corridors have been obstructed by the expansion of human settlements.
Farmers from Vanathavilluwa of the Puttalam district said that cultivation of crops such as Manioc has become impossible.
Ranasinha Perera said that he was part of a team that observed elephant behaviour in remote areas that found out that elephants don’t cross the Palmyrah fence.
“An electrified fence will stand only for ten or twelve years but a Palmyrah tree will survive for more than a hundred years, said Ranasinha Perera.
Perera further said that farmers in the Trincomalee and Putalam districts have successfully used Palmyrah fencing to keep elephants away. – (BBC)